Using GoAnimate in the Classroom

Using comic strips in the classroom can be a really effective tool for ESL learners.  Personally I used the comic strip generator GoAnimate to create my ESL 30 second comic strip.  I wasn't aware of this type of internet tool before and I was pretty fascinated by it.  It was actually a lot of fun to create despite having your options limited by the free 30 second version.  It was pretty clear to see the classroom and language implications that can be supported by such a feature.  There are so many ways to use something like this in class.  As a teacher you can get a subscription and make much longer comics that can be used to reinforce difficult lesson concepts or could potentially serve as the medium used to teach an aspect of the language.  There are so many options of characters, backgrounds and motions available through the website that you could create a running theme that could be incorporated into every lesson as an assistant to the teacher during the entire semester or school year.  The text to speech option makes it really very easy to have the characters say all kinds of vocabulary and produce all different types of grammar.

Using comic strips like this in the classroom can be very beneficial to student interest and motivation.  I prefer to use the comic strip generator over the digital storytelling in the classroom because I think it is more involved and that the possibilities  are greater than the story telling tool I reviewed in my earlier post.  Although I think both tools have good implications for L2 classrooms, GoAnimate just allows you as a teacher to do so much more and create so many more scenarios for ESL learners.
 

Effects of 21st Communications in the Classrooms

Technology continues to change the way we approach education as a society.  The world is changing more rapidly now than ever, there is more information readily available than ever before.  But does that mean people are smarter? Or that education is better? Not necessarily.

After observing the video Educational Change Challenge it is apparent that not all aspects of society are keeping up with the modern technological social changes that are taking place.  It appears that while there have been many technological advancements in the age of computers, the overall approach to education has remained relatively stagnate.  As advances in medicine, energy, and information sharing have stormed through the 21st century education remains locked in its "one size fits all" mentality.  iPods and pads, computer rooms and tech savvy teenagers are a plenty in this modern age, however, the way we teach our students remains the same.  After viewing this video it is apparent what is needed is a technological advancement in the overall approach to education in America.  Educators need to have more freedom and creativity when creating lessons that are appropriate to all types of learners, rather than forcing old world mentality into new world minds.  Until educational approaches are attempted with the same gusto and innovation as the technologies used in classrooms, America's education system will remain stuck in the 20th century.

                                                                                         The future is now!

The other videos which caught my eye were Social Media Revolution and Did You Know?.  The videos were filled with interesting statistics about the state of the world and education.  It is quite remarkable how quickly technology has taken over our lives, particularly social media.  Social media-twitter, Facebook, google+ etc- is one of the most fascinating technological advancements to come out of the early 21st century.  The role that it can hold in the classroom is still being determined.  For the first time in the history of the world anyone can share any type of information instantaneously with anyone around the world.  This type of information sharing is world changing and can have an important impact in the modern classroom.  However social media is also a vice in the sense that it can provide a major distraction for young people in the classrooms.  So although it makes it simple to share information it also makes it easy to distract from learning.  What role social media will play in the future classrooms is yet to be determined.

Overall technology is changing the world rapidly in nearly every aspect.  And until we as a society can incorporate these advantages and changes into the approach to education it will remain in the shadows of the technology it's unable to incorporate.